Italy: all things food and wine-related

[slidergirl]

If you happen to be taking a train in/out of Florence and want to grab a bite,  I’ll recommend the Antica Porchetteria Graniera 1916.  It’s right across from the station, before you get to the 24 hr McDonalds.  The pig in the window called to me.  I went there for dinner.  He does takeaway.  It was excellent porchetta.  A bunch of ways to get your sandwich: I got mine with yellow raisins and nuts, the “1916”.  It just sounded good, and it was!!

[slidergirl]

If you do a day trip to Florence, I will also recommend dropping into the Mercato Centrale and eating lunch upstairs at any of the food places offered.  And have your beer, wine, or spritz there, too.  If you want some food-oriented souvenirs, lots to choose from downstairs.  I go crazy in there each time I go to Florence.  

[cruisemom42]

39 minutes ago, slidergirl said:

If you do a day trip to Florence, I will also recommend dropping into the Mercato Centrale and eating lunch upstairs at any of the food places offered.  And have your beer, wine, or spritz there, too.  If you want some food-oriented souvenirs, lots to choose from downstairs.  I go crazy in there each time I go to Florence.  

 

I can happily second this. The only bad thing is how difficult it is to decide which goodies you want to eat -- so much choice!!!!

 

[slidergirl]

I had my dinner at Osteria Del Cinghale Bianco tonight.  Yummy to the max!  Started with the ribolitta.  Nice and thick.  Better than what I make.  Then I had the wild boar with polenta.  Just the right amount to fill me up.  Big chunks of boar in a good spicy (not spicy hot) sauce along side of creamy polenta.  Not ashamed to say I used some bread to wipe down the bowl.  A nice glass of Brunello just topped it off.  It was definitely worth waiting for that 10pm reservation!

[slidergirl]

I found a wine window!!  Turns out Babae is just down the street from Osteria Del Cinghale Bianco.  People were using it.

[slidergirl]

Lunch today at Trattoria Sostanza.  Been waiting awhile to get back here.  I wanted to try the artichoke omelette.  Holy cow!  Best omelette I’ve had.  More like a frittata. Quartered chokes were dusted and fried before adding to the frittata.  It was made in olive oil, not butter.  I added a side of white beans in olive oil because I like them.  Finished up with fresh raspberries with lemon juice and sugar.  Nice and cold and refreshing.

This restaurant would work for a cruise lunch but you MUST make a reservation.  It is a very small place.  I was first in the door at 12:30 and it was full shortly after that.

[rrraydon]

Has anyone done this Tuscany food trip from Rome?

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g187791-d11449805-Tuscany_Day_Trip_from_Rome_including_3_Course_Lunch_and_Wine_Tasting-Rome_Lazio.html

[slidergirl]

37 minutes ago, rrraydon said:

Has anyone done this Tuscany food trip from Rome?

https://www.tripadvisor.com/AttractionProductReview-g187791-d11449805-Tuscany_Day_Trip_from_Rome_including_3_Course_Lunch_and_Wine_Tasting-Rome_Lazio.html

No.  But that is a long haul from Rome.  It didn’t seem like a good trip but a bus that stops at a few towns and at some point feeds you lunch.  Big difference.

[cruisemom42]

21 hours ago, slidergirl said:

I found a wine window!!  Turns out Babae is just down the street from Osteria Del Cinghale Bianco.  People were using it.

 

Good job finding one of the wine windows. It's one of the things on my list to look for next time I'm in Florence. 

[slidergirl]

14 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Good job finding one of the wine windows. It's one of the things on my list to look for next time I'm in Florence. 

I was going to look for more, but it’s too dam! hot to walk around too much.  99 again today.  I’ll have to put it on my list again for next time.

[iancal]

One thing to look out for.  IF you are in a touristy area, especially Rome, and you order the house wine beware of the waiter offering you some other wine that he recommends.

 

Do not say yes before you ask the price.  If you do not ask the price you may well be paying far more than you anticipated for a very mediocre wine that is no better than the house plonk.

[Host Bonjour]

On 8/10/2022 at 6:20 PM, iancal said:

you order the house wine beware of the waiter offering you some other wine that he recommends

 

Good advice. In Italy, table wines (aka house wines) tend to be palatable (it's Italy!) so it's definitely safer to stick to that rather than go with a wine that might have a very definitive style that wouldn't be to everyone's liking: too sweet/dry/fruity/wrong fruits/tobacco-y/chocolate-y/mossy, oak-y etc. 

 

And... just curious, am I one of the few odd balls (wouldn't be the first time..) who can't stand the spritz? I was so curious when I first saw that beautiful orange colored, refreshing looking drink on everyone's table in Verona years ago, so I asked what it was and tried one. Ugh... did not like. It hadn't yet gotten so big in the US, now it's everywhere.

 

Love seeing all the food photos, and especially the wild boar, it doesn't sound delicious but it really, really is. The raspberry dolce does sound soooo refreshing and looks perfect 😍 thanks for sharing!!

 

 

 

 

[cruisemom42]

48 minutes ago, Host Bonjour said:

And... just curious, am I one of the few odd balls (wouldn't be the first time..) who can't stand the spritz? I was so curious when I first saw that beautiful orange colored, refreshing looking drink on everyone's table in Verona years ago, so I asked what it was and tried one. Ugh... did not like. It hadn't yet gotten so big in the US, now it's everywhere.

 

Not a huge fan of the aperol spritz either, but then I tend not to like sweeter drinks. However, there are times when an aperol spritz goes down well....

 

Here are some classic Italian cocktail alternatives for those who want to try something different:

 

Four Alternatives to the Aperol Spritz | by Richard Hough | Curious | Medium

 

I've had the campari spritz and do like it a little better. The "Americano" sounds interesting. When I am in Italy in October....

 

[slidergirl]

For some reason, I've come a fan of the Aperol Spritz.  Goes down easy, it's refreshing after a scorching hot day.  To me, it's not strong at all like a cocktail and not as intense as a glass of wine.  And I could drink 2 and not feek drunk...  I wanted to try a Compari spritz, but 'Aperol' kept coming out of my mouth when ordering. 

[marazul]

I enjoy amari and Campari is one of the most suitable for cocktails. My favorite is the Negroni.  A plain Campari on the rocks with a splash of soda and an orange slice is as summery as the Aperol spritz. Although there is a lot to be said for the Aperol while in Venice.

[Andros]

We went to Leonetti when we were in Rome 5 years ago.  I really liked it and we were the only ones there other than a couple that finished up shortly after we got there.  It was holiday for most Italians (early November) and football playoffs were on.  Great service and really enjoyed the food.  Would you consider this to be a tourist trap type restaurant?  It was just a couple blocks south of Termini station. 

 

To me this was more traditional style.  We also went to another restaurant that was more Tuscan style.  It was called Restorante Alfredo.  Being it was our first time to Rome we had no idea where to eat.  I liked the traditional style and my partner liked the Tuscan. 

 

We will be here for a day and a half at the end of Oct.  Will definitely try a couple of the other suggestions here.  Thanks for everyone's time and suggestions on this thread, they are greatly appreciated. 

[badvector]

18 hours ago, Andros said:

We will be here for a day and a half at the end of Oct.  Will definitely try a couple of the other suggestions here.  Thanks for everyone's time and suggestions on this thread, they are greatly appreciated. 

 

We will be there at the beginning of November.  I have a friend who flew international for Delta for many years and he recommended the Old Bear in Rome.  He said it was one of his top 5 favorite restaurants.  Looking forward to trying it when we get there.

 

Old Bear  

[bftcruiser]

41 minutes ago, badvector said:

 

We will be there at the beginning of November.  I have a friend who flew international for Delta for many years and he recommended the Old Bear in Rome.  He said it was one of his top 5 favorite restaurants.  Looking forward to trying it when we get there.

 

Old Bear  

We are staying at the Piazza Navona in October and I just made reservations at Old Bear based on this recommendation. The menu and restaurant look fabulous! Thanks for your post.

[badvector]

15 minutes ago, bftcruiser said:

We are staying at the Piazza Navona in October and I just made reservations at Old Bear based on this recommendation. The menu and restaurant look fabulous! Thanks for your post.

 

I hope you enjoy it.  We are staying in Trastevere at a VRBO for a few days before our cruise so we plan to try it one of the nights.  We also just booked a local food tour that starts out near our apartment.  I'm beyond ready to start this trip.

[slidergirl]

Water:  When you are at a restaurant/cafe and order water, chances are, unless you specifically ask for a type of water, you will be asked "still or sparkling".  Those of course, are the bottles they charge for.  You can say "tap" and you will be brought free tap water.  It's perfectly fine.  It's a way to save a couple of Euro on you meal.  

[bennybear]

@slidergirl thanks for the food photos, although now I’m drooling.   And Brunello, sigh!  Was that restaurant in Florence? 

[cruisemom42]

On 8/20/2022 at 6:49 PM, Andros said:

We went to Leonetti when we were in Rome 5 years ago.  I really liked it and we were the only ones there other than a couple that finished up shortly after we got there.  It was holiday for most Italians (early November) and football playoffs were on.  Great service and really enjoyed the food.  Would you consider this to be a tourist trap type restaurant? 

 

I've not heard of this restaurant before. From looking at the menu online I'd agree that they offer the classic repertoire of dishes local to Rome. How good are they?  Couldn't tell you. But if you enjoyed the food, then that's what ultimately counts.

 

[Host Bonjour]

On 8/11/2022 at 8:56 PM, slidergirl said:

For some reason, I've come a fan of the Aperol Spritz.  Goes down easy, it's refreshing after a scorching hot day.

 

It sure is pretty and has the look of something unbelievably refreshing! (Maybe it has a low alcohol content?) I wanted to like it, just on how it looked on all the tables. Also, FOMO. But alas....

 

Anyway, in my neighborhood (and everywhere!) there are Aperol orange umbrellas covering all the cafe tables so... it's beyond popular. 😉 Which I think has brought a resurgence of the Negroni and Campari cocktails though I've noticed them appearing in some film in tv, always cool. I like them better too... go figure.

 

But I liked the orancello better than the limoncello, then again, THAT depends entirely on who makes it. Wouldn't touch any bottled stuff. Nice to dunk the cantuccini in there with it, too.

[slidergirl]

19 hours ago, bennybear said:

@slidergirl thanks for the food photos, although now I’m drooling.   And Brunello, sigh!  Was that restaurant in Florence? 

Yes, it was Florence.  Osteria del Cinghiale Bianco.   If I can find Brunello by the glass, I go for it!

[cruisemom42]

1 hour ago, slidergirl said:

If I can find Brunello by the glass, I go for it!

 

Indeed!

 

That's why I like Cavour 313 in Rome -- it's a local wine bar with limited (also locally sourced) food. And they have a wide variety of wine available by the glass, including Brunello.